UPDATE: Police investigate report Patong tuk-tuk driver was drugged and robbed

Police in Patong are investigating a report that a tuk-tuk driver was drugged and robbed of gold jewelry and a mobile phone after a woman allegedly asked him to taste coffee.

Police identified the victim as 53-year-old Somnuk Chanagkul, a tuk-tuk driver operating in the Patong area. Police said he picked up a female passenger at about 9pm on June 4. The woman was described as Thai and wearing a hat that obscured her face, and she hired him to drive to Karon for a video recording before he later returned her to the area in front of Kalim School in Patong.

According to police, the woman then offered him coffee, saying she was preparing to start a business selling the beverage and wanted his opinion on the taste. After drinking the coffee, he reportedly felt drowsy, lost consciousness and later awoke near the Kalim Beach tuk-tuk stand.

When he regained consciousness, he discovered that his gold jewelry, valued at more than 300,000 baht, was missing along with his mobile phone. The new report specified the stolen gold as a necklace.

Police Lieutenant Sakwanat Damcha-om, a deputy investigation inspector at Patong Police Station, received the emergency call at 5:47am on June 5 after members of the public found the man unconscious and took him to Patong Hospital. The case was then reported to Pol Col Korakrit Khankhruea, superintendent of Patong Police Station, before officers went to examine the incident.

Investigators recorded the victim’s statement, though police said he appeared disoriented and was unable to give a fully coherent account. Authorities have requested blood tests to determine whether he was drugged with narcotics or other substances, and officers are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to identify and locate the woman for questioning. Police said the investigation is continuing.